A Hidden Threat to The True Church

Many people who think they are following the gospel of Jesus Christ are instead following Moral Therapeutic Deism, a watered-down creed that requires little by way of commitment or conversion. This counterfeit gospel makes personal happiness and "nice-ness" the only virtues that matter and imagines a God whose only job is to love and serve us and then to let us all into heaven without asking anything of us. Moral Therapeutic Deism is a danger to the true church because it can lead to stunted faith and spiritual starvation. This vacuous way of thinking is also causing young people to leave organized religion in droves all across America. What can you and I do to prevent this popular "self-made" religion of complacency and convenience from taking root in our own hearts and homes?

Recent national studies have suggested that more young adults are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now than ever before.[i] This worrying development follows a larger trend across the country, in which particular groups or demographic cohorts (such as Millennials and Generation Z, or young men without a college degree, etc.) have been observed to be increasingly rejecting traditional religion, and moreover appear to be leaving these religions in droves. Seeing this, some have declared that “Religious commitment is in sharp decline, almost free fall.”[ii] Others have observed that “Almost every organized religion is experiencing losses in this new climate.”[iii] While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not experienced the dramatic losses which other American churches have faced, it is clear that we are not immune to this trend. Even the highest leaders of the Church have acknowledged the growing dissatisfaction among many people with organized religion.

Avoiding Spiritual Thorns

Image credit: Димитър Найденов / Dimìtar Nàydenov

I'm reading the parable of the sower in Mark Chapter 4, and I was struck by the things which Christ describes as "thorns" which can spring up and choke the word once we have heard it: 

• ·        The cares of this world
• ·        The deceitfulness of riches
• ·        The lusts of other things

This parable is a warning to all of us who have heard the word. Do we allow our preoccupation with success, advancement, wealth, achievement, and recognition or approval to interfere with our efforts to nourish and nurture the word of the Lord in our hearts and our lives?

What are the lusts of other things? Do we spend too much time watching TV, or on social media? Are these things interfering with habits which foster the development of a relationship with God?

Perhaps it is time to examine our lives to identify those noxious thorns which have sprung up to choke the spiritual life out of us almost without our even knowing it.

For more on how to get rid of spiritual distractions, see my article:

Scripture Master Tip #12: Rid Yourself of All Distractions

God's Truth Is The Truth, Even If You Disagree With It

I have noticed lately that there are many in and around the church who expect that everything that comes from God should be something with which they agree, and if they do not already agree with a teaching or doctrine of the church, then they assume that it must not come from God.  There are those who reject Christianity and/or a belief in God, because they cannot reconcile their own beliefs with those which are taught in the scriptures or by church leaders.  There are members that persist in disobedience to prophetic counsel because they cannot bring themselves to listen to counsel with which they do not agree.  Many insist that they would obey a given commandment if only they understood it, or they claim that they will live it just as soon as they gain a testimony confirming that such a commandment is true.

The Great Apostasy-Part III: Apostasy and Dissension from within the Church

Apostasy and Dissension from within the Church

This is the third installment in my series of presentations on the Great Apostasy. In this segment we examine the catastrophic effect that internal heresy and strife had on the primitive church, and the Apostles' responses to and prophecies about this increasingly widespread apostasy.  If you have not already done so you should go back and view Part 1 and Part 2 first before you start Part 3.

**For ideal viewing, click the fullscreen button on the bottom left hand side of the player, or hit Ctrl+Shift+F to view the presentation at its full size.

The Great Apostasy - Part 2

What caused the Great Apostasy?/External Persecution?

Here is the second part in my series on the Great Apostasy.  If you have not yet viewed Part 1 you should follow this link so you can view it first before you start part 2.  In this segment we examine the persecution that was heaped upon the early saints, and attempt to determine how and if that persecution contributed to the eventual demise of the primitive church as it was established by Christ. As always, feedback is appreciated.  Also, when you are done you can move on to Part 3.

**For ideal viewing, click the fullscreen button on the bottom left hand side of the player, or hit Ctrl+Shift+F to view the presentation at its full size.

The Great Apostasy - Part 1

Introduction/Prophets and Apostles

This is the first in a planned series on the Great Apostasy. For ideal viewing, click the fullscreen button on the bottom left hand side of the player, or hit Ctrl+Shift+F to view the presentation at its full size. Let me know what you think of this format in general, and my presentation in particular.  Also, here are links to Part 2 and Part 3

Why should you care?

In Bible Study, we recently finished reading the epistle of James, and are now in the midst of Galatians. In preparing (and teaching) for these studies, I find myself challenged with establishing the immediate relevance of the issues and questions contained in The New Testament for a group of students made up largely of LDS people who are under 30. On the surface, it may seem like many of the letters written by the New Testament Apostles deal with concerns that are almost entirely specific and unique to the time in which they were written, and in some cases to the culture of the people to which the epistle was addressed. And this raises the question, why should a modern-day Christian (or anyone else for that matter) care about such questions as whether or not Gentiles needed to be circumcised, or what role (if any) the Mosaic Law will play in our lives under the Law of Christ (The Gospel)? In an effort to address this question, I plan to write a series of articles ( beginning with this one) about why you should care, using various episodes from the scriptures as basic examples of things that you should care about, even if you don’t.

Those of you with a short attention span may want to skip to the end where it says: "Here's why you should care."